Aram

about 2 months ago

@FTFonFS1 @getnickwright @getnickwright is one of the dumbest motherfuckers

aramth39 retweeted

Joshua Reed Eakle 🗽

@JoshEakle

4 months ago

It’s important that you understand what happened last night. Last night, Stephen Colbert interviewed Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, a candidate who, by all accounts, is on track in the polls to flip Texas blue. In response, Trump’s FCC reportedly threatened CBS if the interview aired. CBS caved and pulled the segment, citing “financial reasons.” In modern American history, no president has been more hostile to free speech than Donald Trump. But censorship always backfires. Here’s the full segment Trump didn’t want you to see.

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aramth39 retweeted

James Talarico

@jamestalarico

4 months ago

This is the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see. His FCC refused to air my interview with Stephen Colbert. Trump is worried we’re about to flip Texas.

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Heath School Pre-K ‘02 - Marcus Smart DPOY

4 months ago

@danorlovsky7 Fuck you, you should quit you’re job

Who to follow

George O'Dea

@godea777

XAVIER

@xavierhincapie

graduated @newenglandlaw, formerly @northeastern

6 months ago

@CodyBrownBets 146

aramth39 retweeted

8 months ago

Throughout our history, Armenia has been surrounded by great powers that have sought to conquer, displace & subjugate our people in pursuit of regional domination. Armenia's survival has depended on our ability to leverage our place at the crossroads of the world & forge strategic alliances to balance these imperial forces against each other. That is how a small, often stateless, nation has been able to survive in a region like this for over 3000 years. Today, the dominant forces in our region are Turkey, Russia & Iran. The U.S. & EU have struggled to establish a foothold & are largely focused on exploiting regional resource reserves – but unable to flex any real military or diplomatic muscle, and reliant on fair-weather NATO-ally Turkey to project influence. In this hotly contested region, Armenia’s foreign policy shouldn’t be about “choosing” a side out of naïve hope they’ll come to our rescue – but to balance against these competing forces to prevent any one power from monopolizing the region at our expense. Armenia’s Neighbors: Turkey & Azerbaijan are belligerent nations & perpetual threats to Armenia's existence. They see Armenia as an obstacle to their 'pan-Turkic' aspirations – to secure contiguous access to the Caspian & Central Asia, and to control the flow of energy, resources & goods through the 'middle corridor' to Europe. Azerbaijan & Turkey want to control the middle corridor without relying on any third state – as they do now on Georgia, Russia & Iran. To achieve those ends, Turkey & Azerbaijan have long coveted control over the southern Armenian region of Syunik – which separates Azerbaijan from Nakhichevan (and Turkey) by 20 miles at its narrowest point. Turkey & Azerbaijan have laid claim to this “Zangezur Corridor” since their inception as nation-states following the collapse of the Ottoman & Russian Empires. And their ambitions will not be quelled through concessions & appeasement – with stunts like the "Trump Corridor" (TRIPP) only serving to legitimize & embolden Turkey & Azerbaijan's territorial aspirations over Syunik. Turkey & Azerbaijan's regional ambitions necessitate their domination over Armenia. For them, it's zero-sum. Russia & Iran are great powers with a vested interest in the South Caucasus – and whether we like it or not, Armenia can't afford to ignore them. Both have an interest in preventing Turkey & Azerbaijan's domination of the South Caucasus & monopolization of the 'middle corridor' at their exclusion. Both come with serious baggage. Iran is friendly, and vital for Armenia’s regional access given Turkey & Azerbaijan’s blockade against 80% of Armenia’s borders. But Iran is isolated on the world stage with limited leverage in regional affairs, and has demonstrated little capacity or willingness to restrain Azerbaijan’s behavior in large part due to mutual energy interests – which have allowed Iran to circumvent international sanctions. Russia is the only state in the region capable of providing any form of security guarantee for Armenia – but Armenia's relations with Russia have soured in recent years, and it has become an unreliable ally. Russia failed to deter or respond to Azerbaijan's incursions into Armenian territory, was unwilling to lift the blockade of Artsakh, and unable to prevent the ethnic cleansing of the region – despite its peacekeeping presence. U.S. & EU Role in the South Caucasus: The deterioration of the Armenia-Russia relationship didn't happen in a vacuum. The U.S. has long desired to wrest Armenia from Russia's orbit. This has come in the form of a pro-Armenia stance during the first Artsakh War, tepid engagement in the OSCE Minsk Process, and significant foreign assistance since the early 2000s. It has also come in the form of influence operations – a staple of U.S. foreign policy in former Soviet states that has seen steady investment in favored civil society actors & political forces advancing U.S. interests domestically. Pashinyan came to power amid this wave of U.S. investment in Armenia – through demonstrations against the previous government he accused of corruption & democratic backsliding. Pashinyan viewed Russia as chiefly responsible for Armenia’s corrupt political culture – and Russia became a useful foil in his crusade against his political opponents. But in pursuit of this political witch hunt, Pashinyan took harmful steps that distanced Armenia from Russia – in exchange for little more than empty rhetoric from the West. The U.S. has a history of leading its partners down the primrose path – convincing them it’s in their interests to turn their back on Russia, without offering any guarantees against Russia’s inevitable & predictable backlash. Georgia & Ukraine are cautionary tales — whose legitimate security concerns & grievances with Russia were preyed on by the West with promises of NATO & EU membership, only to be left vulnerable to Russia's vengeful lash back. Georgia is now in the throes of internal conflict amid resurgent Russian influence. Ukraine is suffering invasion & occupation, and faced with the prospect of painful concessions. While Russia has proven to be unreliable & vindictive, its power & influence is nonetheless enduring & inescapable. We are, after all, prisoners of our geography. That doesn’t mean Armenia should remain dependent on Russia – we shouldn’t be dependent on any one state. Armenia should absolutely be reducing reliance on Russia & diversifying its relations – including with the U.S. & EU, to balance against Russia's domineering influence. But reducing dependence on Russia does not require antagonizing Russia – which has only left Armenia more vulnerable. We can acknowledge the evils of the last century of imperialism, subjugation & dependence at Russia’s hands and agree on the need to hedge against Russia – while also recognizing that a “shock therapy” approach to disentangling from Russia would be far more detrimental for Armenia than any presumed benefit we’d extract from the West in doing so. And if you do decide to antagonize Russia – you sure as hell better have a good backup plan. But that’s the problem – we don’t. We traded security ties for empty promises. Every successive Armenian Government prior to Pashinyan was able to ensure good relations with Russia while making breakthroughs with the West. They understood that “diversifying relations” didn't mean putting all your eggs in a new basket – but maintaining ties with your existing allies too. So – why hasn't the West saved us? With everything Pashinyan has done to distance Armenia from Russia – why hasn’t the West saved us? If we're meant to believe turning away from Russia would precipitate backing from the West – where is that support? Why have the U.S. & EU – despite criticizing Azerbaijan’s actions – not only refused to hold Azerbaijan accountable, but continuously rewarded its behavior with lucrative energy deals & military aid? Why? Because the U.S. & EU have a vested interest in Turkey & Azerbaijan. The U.S. & EU want a "Zangezur Corridor". They want access to Caspian & Central Asian resources. They want Azerbaijani gas to flow to Europe. They want Turkey (NATO) & Azerbaijan to control the ‘middle corridor’ if it means the West has a stake – and Russia & Iran are cut out of the equation. As is their prerogative – the U.S. & EU have pursued their own strategic interests in the region at the expense of the values of democracy & human rights they proclaim to uphold, sacrificing Armenia at the altar of regional energy politics. Armenia is little more than an afterthought – collateral damage. It was never that Armenia was "too close to Russia" to qualify for the West's sympathies – it's that the U.S. & EU are too pro-Turkey/Azerbaijan to be concerned with Armenia's interests. With that in mind, is 'the West' even capable of providing a credible deterrent against Azerbaijan? How can the West deter Azerbaijan's aggression when it fuels Azerbaijan's war machine through investments in its energy industry & direct military assistance? Beyond that – when was the last time the U.S. was actually able to deter aggression? If the U.S. & EU couldn’t deter (or end) a war within Europe’s borders – or prevent an ‘indispensable ally’ from perpetrating genocide – how can anyone have confidence in the West's ability (or willingness) to restrain Azerbaijan? The answer is – you can't. We can't pretend as if the West doesn't have a real, vested interest in Azerbaijan & Turkey. And we can't gamble the future of our nation on the hope that just because the West claims to embody democracy & human rights, it will necessarily come to Armenia's defense at the expense of its own geopolitical interests. Conclusions: Beyond rhetoric, antagonizing Russia hasn't brought Armenia closer to the West or the West closer to Armenia in any meaningful way. And it hasn’t made Armenia any safer or more prosperous. If anything, it’s done the opposite – leaving Armenia without a reliable security guarantor at a volatile moment, while our friends in the West double down on Azerbaijan. States serve their own interests. You can always count on Russia to do what's best for Russia, and the U.S. to do what's best for the U.S. – but we should never expect either of them to do what's best for Armenia. That’s Armenia’s job. And if the Armenian Government is incapable of doing that – why the fuck would we expect anyone else to?

algalitsky's tweet photo. Throughout our history, Armenia has been surrounded by great powers that have sought to conquer, displace & subjugate our people in pursuit of regional domination.

Armenia's survival has depended on our ability to leverage our place at the crossroads of the world & forge strategic alliances to balance these imperial forces against each other. That is how a small, often stateless, nation has been able to survive in a region like this for over 3000 years.

Today, the dominant forces in our region are Turkey, Russia & Iran. The U.S. & EU have struggled to establish a foothold & are largely focused on exploiting regional resource reserves – but unable to flex any real military or diplomatic muscle, and reliant on fair-weather NATO-ally Turkey to project influence.

In this hotly contested region, Armenia’s foreign policy shouldn’t be about “choosing” a side out of naïve hope they’ll come to our rescue – but to balance against these competing forces to prevent any one power from monopolizing the region at our expense.

Armenia’s Neighbors:

Turkey & Azerbaijan are belligerent nations & perpetual threats to Armenia's existence. They see Armenia as an obstacle to their 'pan-Turkic' aspirations – to secure contiguous access to the Caspian & Central Asia, and to control the flow of energy, resources & goods through the 'middle corridor' to Europe. Azerbaijan & Turkey want to control the middle corridor without relying on any third state – as they do now on Georgia, Russia & Iran.

To achieve those ends, Turkey & Azerbaijan have long coveted control over the southern Armenian region of Syunik – which separates Azerbaijan from Nakhichevan (and Turkey) by 20 miles at its narrowest point. Turkey & Azerbaijan have laid claim to this “Zangezur Corridor” since their inception as nation-states following the collapse of the Ottoman & Russian Empires. And their ambitions will not be quelled through concessions & appeasement – with stunts like the "Trump Corridor" (TRIPP) only serving to legitimize & embolden Turkey & Azerbaijan's territorial aspirations over Syunik.

Turkey & Azerbaijan's regional ambitions necessitate their domination over Armenia. For them, it's zero-sum.

Russia & Iran are great powers with a vested interest in the South Caucasus – and whether we like it or not, Armenia can't afford to ignore them. Both have an interest in preventing Turkey & Azerbaijan's domination of the South Caucasus & monopolization of the 'middle corridor' at their exclusion. Both come with serious baggage.

Iran is friendly, and vital for Armenia’s regional access given Turkey & Azerbaijan’s blockade against 80% of Armenia’s borders. But Iran is isolated on the world stage with limited leverage in regional affairs, and has demonstrated little capacity or willingness to restrain Azerbaijan’s behavior in large part due to mutual energy interests – which have allowed Iran to circumvent international sanctions.

Russia is the only state in the region capable of providing any form of security guarantee for Armenia – but Armenia's relations with Russia have soured in recent years, and it has become an unreliable ally. Russia failed to deter or respond to Azerbaijan's incursions into Armenian territory, was unwilling to lift the blockade of Artsakh, and unable to prevent the ethnic cleansing of the region – despite its peacekeeping presence.

U.S. & EU Role in the South Caucasus:

The deterioration of the Armenia-Russia relationship didn't happen in a vacuum. The U.S. has long desired to wrest Armenia from Russia's orbit. This has come in the form of a pro-Armenia stance during the first Artsakh War, tepid engagement in the OSCE Minsk Process, and significant foreign assistance since the early 2000s. It has also come in the form of influence operations – a staple of U.S. foreign policy in former Soviet states that has seen steady investment in favored civil society actors & political forces advancing U.S. interests domestically.

Pashinyan came to power amid this wave of U.S. investment in Armenia – through demonstrations against the previous government he accused of corruption & democratic backsliding. Pashinyan viewed Russia as chiefly responsible for Armenia’s corrupt political culture – and Russia became a useful foil in his crusade against his political opponents. But in pursuit of this political witch hunt, Pashinyan took harmful steps that distanced Armenia from Russia – in exchange for little more than empty rhetoric from the West.

The U.S. has a history of leading its partners down the primrose path – convincing them it’s in their interests to turn their back on Russia, without offering any guarantees against Russia’s inevitable & predictable backlash. Georgia & Ukraine are cautionary tales — whose legitimate security concerns & grievances with Russia were preyed on by the West with promises of NATO & EU membership, only to be left vulnerable to Russia's vengeful lash back. Georgia is now in the throes of internal conflict amid resurgent Russian influence. Ukraine is suffering invasion & occupation, and faced with the prospect of painful concessions.

While Russia has proven to be unreliable & vindictive, its power & influence is nonetheless enduring & inescapable. We are, after all, prisoners of our geography. That doesn’t mean Armenia should remain dependent on Russia – we shouldn’t be dependent on any one state. Armenia should absolutely be reducing reliance on Russia & diversifying its relations – including with the U.S. & EU, to balance against Russia's domineering influence.

But reducing dependence on Russia does not require antagonizing Russia – which has only left Armenia more vulnerable. We can acknowledge the evils of the last century of imperialism, subjugation & dependence at Russia’s hands and agree on the need to hedge against Russia – while also recognizing that a “shock therapy” approach to disentangling from Russia would be far more detrimental for Armenia than any presumed benefit we’d extract from the West in doing so.

And if you do decide to antagonize Russia – you sure as hell better have a good backup plan. But that’s the problem – we don’t. We traded security ties for empty promises. Every successive Armenian Government prior to Pashinyan was able to ensure good relations with Russia while making breakthroughs with the West. They understood that “diversifying relations” didn't mean putting all your eggs in a new basket – but maintaining ties with your existing allies too.

So – why hasn't the West saved us?

With everything Pashinyan has done to distance Armenia from Russia – why hasn’t the West saved us? If we're meant to believe turning away from Russia would precipitate backing from the West – where is that support? Why have the U.S. & EU – despite criticizing Azerbaijan’s actions – not only refused to hold Azerbaijan accountable, but continuously rewarded its behavior with lucrative energy deals & military aid?

Why? Because the U.S. & EU have a vested interest in Turkey & Azerbaijan. The U.S. & EU want a "Zangezur Corridor". They want access to Caspian & Central Asian resources. They want Azerbaijani gas to flow to Europe. They want Turkey (NATO) & Azerbaijan to control the ‘middle corridor’ if it means the West has a stake – and Russia & Iran are cut out of the equation.

As is their prerogative – the U.S. & EU have pursued their own strategic interests in the region at the expense of the values of democracy & human rights they proclaim to uphold, sacrificing Armenia at the altar of regional energy politics. Armenia is little more than an afterthought – collateral damage.

It was never that Armenia was "too close to Russia" to qualify for the West's sympathies – it's that the U.S. & EU are too pro-Turkey/Azerbaijan to be concerned with Armenia's interests.

With that in mind, is 'the West' even capable of providing a credible deterrent against Azerbaijan? How can the West deter Azerbaijan's aggression when it fuels Azerbaijan's war machine through investments in its energy industry & direct military assistance?

Beyond that – when was the last time the U.S. was actually able to deter aggression? If the U.S. & EU couldn’t deter (or end) a war within Europe’s borders – or prevent an ‘indispensable ally’ from perpetrating genocide – how can anyone have confidence in the West's ability (or willingness) to restrain Azerbaijan?

The answer is – you can't. We can't pretend as if the West doesn't have a real, vested interest in Azerbaijan & Turkey. And we can't gamble the future of our nation on the hope that just because the West claims to embody democracy & human rights, it will necessarily come to Armenia's defense at the expense of its own geopolitical interests.

Conclusions:

Beyond rhetoric, antagonizing Russia hasn't brought Armenia closer to the West or the West closer to Armenia in any meaningful way. And it hasn’t made Armenia any safer or more prosperous. If anything, it’s done the opposite – leaving Armenia without a reliable security guarantor at a volatile moment, while our friends in the West double down on Azerbaijan.

States serve their own interests. You can always count on Russia to do what's best for Russia, and the U.S. to do what's best for the U.S. – but we should never expect either of them to do what's best for Armenia. That’s Armenia’s job. And if the Armenian Government is incapable of doing that – why the fuck would we expect anyone else to?

about 1 year ago

@nbastats Pritchard had 4 rebounds fix this

aramth39 retweeted

over 1 year ago

At this point I hope Azerbaijan is paying @nasdaily for his propaganda videos, because the fucked up alternative is that he's just doing it for free out of sheer passion for genocidal regimes.

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aramth39 retweeted

over 1 year ago

Trump sent $100 million+ in military aid to Azerbaijan before its assault on Artsakh in 2020. Biden & Harris did nothing to prevent or respond to Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing of Artsakh last year. Both are complicit. We need more than words. We will hold them accountable.

algalitsky's tweet photo. Trump sent $100 million+ in military aid to Azerbaijan before its assault on Artsakh in 2020.

Biden & Harris did nothing to prevent or respond to Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing of Artsakh last year.

Both are complicit. We need more than words. We will hold them accountable. https://t.co/VkHk0dnivN

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aramth39 retweeted

TheHillOpinion

@TheHillOpinion

over 1 year ago

Letting Azerbaijan host the UN climate conference is a sick joke https://t.co/9vCmhvwF8N

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aramth39 retweeted

José María Del Pino @josemdelpino

over 1 year ago

Azerbaijan’s booth at COP28 displayed a slide stating "Karabakh is the first region in Azerbaijan to achieve ‘net zero.’" One wonders whether they were referring to carbon emissions or Armenians. My latest in @TheHill on Azerbaijan hosting #COP29. https://t.co/09tw8PvzPr

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aramth39 retweeted

over 1 year ago

I asked Stephen Miller, one of Donald Trump's top advisors, what is the evidence for saying that Caracas and Venezuela are safer than the United States. He began by answering that it is the government's numbers. I asked him if he trusted Maduro's numbers. And this was his reaction.👇

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almost 2 years ago

@SavageSports_ Oh no! We only won 6 super bowls in 20 years, I think I can cope

aramth39 retweeted

Alex Cole

@acnewsitics

almost 2 years ago

Wow! 🔥🔥🔥 I wish every American could see this. Make it happen, folks!

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aramth39 retweeted

BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️

@mmpadellan

almost 2 years ago

WATCH President Biden lean forward and put Lester Holt in his place on the debate: "Lester, why don't you guys ever talk about the 28 lies he told?" HELL YEAH. GET HIM, JOE! 🔥 🔥 🔥

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aramth39 retweeted

almost 2 years ago

“We must ensure these atrocities are never repeated.” This atrocity was literally repeated last year when Azerbaijan ethnically cleansed Nagorno-Karabakh’s entire Armenian population — and the U.S. did nothing to stop it.

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aramth39 retweeted

Ed Krassenstein

@EdKrassen

almost 2 years ago

Crazy.

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aramth39 retweeted

The Intellectualist

@highbrow_nobrow

almost 2 years ago

Senator JD Vance (R-OH) : Parents should stay in violent marriages "for the sake of their kids." (2022)

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aramth39 retweeted

Ted Lieu

@tedlieu

almost 2 years ago

Thank you to The ReidOut for confirming I’m right: multiple links between Trump and Epstein. -Pictures/video of Trump with Epstein -Call logs of Trump and Epstein -Trump flew on Epstein’s jet -Weird statements by Trump about Epstein -Very disturbing court filing naming Trump

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